Improvement in automatic boiler-feeders



LoniNG r. EAwEs, OE BROOKLYN, NEw YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC BIOILER-FEEDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 153,951, dated August11, 1874; application filed Aprn 7,1814.

running by gravity past a check-valve. 4From the feed-vessel two pipeslead to the boiler, one going to the lower part, and provided with acheckvalve, and the other to the steam-space of the boiler, either at orabove the water-line, and to this steam-pipe a valve y is applied,controlled by the expansion of alcohol or other material, or itsvaporization in a vessel that is periodically exposed to the action ofsteam; The expansion closes the steam-valve, and, as the apparatuscools, the steam condenses, the pressure lessens, the feed-water runsin, and, cooling off the apparatas, lessens the pressure of the alcoholin the expansion-vessel, and the steam-valve is opened by a weight, thepressure equalizes in the feeder and boiler, and the water runs into theboiler by its hydrostatic pressure, and the steam reaches theexpansion-vessel, heats the same, and the operations are repeated. y

An apparatus has been made for feeding water to a boiler, in which theexpansion or vaporization of alcohol or similar material, has beenavailed of to turn cocks inthe steam and water pipes; but these areliable to be partially turned and allow steam or hotwater to blowthrough the supply water-pipe.

By using valves in the supply and water pipes, leading to and from thefeed-vessel, these become self-acting, and the steam-valve,

opening against the steam pressure, will move suddenly, hwhen the weightis unsupported, and opening fully admits steam into the feedervessel,"hence the apparatus will always be in a fully-operative condition. W

f In the drawing I have represented this improvement by a verticalsection of the apparatus.

The vessel a is provided with a pipe, b, and

check-valve c leading to a reservoir, or other water-supply. Thecheck-valve e is in the pipe d, that passes to the water-space of thesteam-boi1er,or to a steam-generator for heating apparatus. The valvefis in the coupling that connects the steam-pipe g to the vessel a, andthis valve is opened against the steam pressure by the lever h andweight k.

The expansion-vessel l is preferably made of .a copper case, m, anddiaphragm n, above which is the press-bar o, that connects with thelever h.

The alcohol, or other expansive or volatile material contained in thevessel l, expands and, raising the lever h, closes the valve f, wheneverthe steam heat, reaching such vessel l through the tube r to thecontainingcase s, is suliioient to generate the required pressure.

It will now be understood that when the vessel l is cool the valve fisopen, and steam passes in from the boiler to the vessel a, and, closingthe valve c, shuts off the inlet of' water, and whenever the pressure ofsteam in a corresponds to that in the boiler the water will run fromthis feed-vessel a into the boiler by gravity, and the steam reachingthe lower end of the pipe r will take the 4place of the water therein,and pass to and heat the expansion vessel l, and close the valve f. Thevalve e will close by the pressure from the boiler, and both e and fwill remain closed until the pressure in a decreases, the fedl waterruns into the vessel a, and the expansion# vessel l' is cooled andcontracted sufficiently to allow the weight k to open the valve f, andthe operations are repeated.

When the steam-pipe g is connected to the boiler, at ornear the standardwater-line, the vessel a will not become4 empty until the water-linedescends so asto allow steam to take the place of the water; but theremay be a circulation of the water through this'vessel a if the same isentirely filled, but that will not heat the expansion-vessel l; hencethe valves f and c will remain open.

I do not claim a boiler-feeding apparatus with cocks operated by theexpansion of al- U1\r1TEDSTl\TEs PATENT OEEIcu...`

eohol, or` other similarmaterial, as in the d, valve e, and pipe r, tothe'ease s, the parts' patentvofJ. W. Bishop,yApri1-11, 1865,7 No.Tbeing constructed and arranged substantially 47,181. as and. for thepurposes set forth.

I claim as my invention- Signed by me this 3d day of April7 A. D. Thevalve f to the steam-pipe g, closing in 1874.

the dlreetion of the ,flow of steam by expan- L. P. HAWES.

sion of alcohol or similar liquid in the vessel l, and opened againstthe steam pressure by Witnesses:

the Weight and `lever. h, in combination Withl GEO. T. FINCK-ruim,` thevesse1a,in1etpipe b,va1ve @delivery-pipe GHAsH. SMITH.

